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October 18, 2005
Bus vs Car
A one-way fare on the Metro bus is $1.50. So to go to Shoreline today, Jennifer must pay $1.50 to get there, and a $1.50 for the trip back. The total cost (in terms of money spent today) is $3.00.
What is the cost of driving a car? My car gets 20MPG in the city, which is actually pretty bad by today's standards, especially since it's not a large car by any means. I was getting about 25MPG, but the last few weeks it's been really bad, so we will say it gets 20MPG. Furthermore, fuel seems to be stuck at $2.77 a gallon no matter where I fuel up. And the distance from here to Shoreline is 9.35 miles by car.
So, if we only base cost on the cost of fuel, a trip to Shoreline and back will cost $2.60. But you've got to park that car somewhere, and we'll add the cost of a daily permit, which is $1.
So the cost to take the bus to Shoreline is $3.00. The cost to take MY car is $3.60. I don't see the advantage of the bus. True, I don't include the cost of wear and tear on the vehicle. Historically, I tend to spend about $750 a year (on average) on maintenance and repairs. I'm sure this will get worse as the car gets older, although it's awfully old as is, and I can't imagine a car that is more trouble than mine. I also drive the car about 15,000 miles every year, so that's $0.05 in added cost per mile. Let's include the cost of tires (almost $0.02 a mile) and throw in an extra cent per mile for miscellaneous costs.
So instead of $3.60 to go to Shoreline, we're spending $4.35, as opposed to $3.00 to use the bus. Using a bus pass, a bus rider can reduce the cost per day to $2.70. But a driver can reduce costs too. 20MPG isn't very fuel efficient... no better than a Hummer H3. But if somebody drives a Honda Civic, or a Jetta TDI, the cost of driving is reduced from $4.35 to $3.48. And a daily driver would choose to purchase a parking permit, not pay daily parking, which reduces costs to $2.81 a day. If gas prices fall, driving becomes an even better deal. And a smart person would consider carpooling, potentially cutting costs in half.
Beyond monetary costs, there are other costs to consider as well. Taking the bus adds one hour to the commute each way. That's two hours a day that are not going to be very productive. At best you'll wish you could sleep in more. How much is an hour worth to you? Is it worth a dollar? Ten dollars? A hundred dollars? Time is money, though it's not worth the same amount to all people. Jennifer is a college student, and I'm an unemployed economist, so our time might be worth a few dollars at best. We really don't have anything better to do. But a busy career woman with a family might value those two hours considerably more. She could use that time to make more money, or better yet, spend time with her family.
Economists like to consider all possible benefits and costs. So I'll end this with some costs that are very hard to quantify, but are probably considered when people choose between a bus and a car.
Health: The bus is jam packed with potentially sick people. The risk is small, but it's a lot higher than the risk associated by sitting in your car. Advantage: CAR. Really nice cars even filter your air.
Freedom: The beauty of driving is that you can go wherever you want, whenever you want. A bus only goes to certain places, and even then only at certain times. Advantage: CAR
Fossil Fuels and the Environment: It's a real toss up. A diesel Metro bus gets around 2.5MPG, and the Metro route to Shoreline is 12.6 miles. The bus had around 20 people on it on average, which means the bus used 0.252 gallons per person. A 35MPG Jetta diesel would use 0.267 gallons in order to travel the 9.35 miles between our apartment and Shoreline. However, I imagine a large bus still produces less emissions than 20 VW Jettas. Advantage: BUS
Networking: Everyone on our bus this morning looked really grumpy, but given that you're riding on a bus with people who are headed in the same direction as you, you probably have something in common with them. Striking up a conversation might lead to a business opportunity (although I doubt it), or a friendship. I would imagine buses are a great place to meet men/women. You get to spend an hour a day getting to know somebody, you already know the general locations that they work or live, and you both are riding the bus, so you already have something in common. The downside to this is that if you do end up in a relationship, and it doesn't work out, you still have to see them everyday... or if the breakup is really bad, you'll have to find a different bus route. Advantage: BUS. Romance doesn't work well if you're the only person in your car, although one of Serena's old college friends would beg to differ.
Traffic: Some people like to ride the bus because they don't have to sit in traffic. Others (like myself) like to drive a car because they don't like to be out of control. ADVANTAGE: It's a toss-up. I need to have my car nearby or I get anxious. Right now it's in the shop and it's really bothering me. But I'm crazy. On the other hand, driving in a place like Seattle takes patience, and the ability to adapt to city driving. My mom avoids the freeway at all costs. I don't like it much, because crawling on the Interstate isn't pleasant, but I'm very used to it.
Am I missing anything? Are there some costs, either specific or general, that I've forgotten?
Posted by March at October 18, 2005 06:07 AM